`Public Servants' Get Good Benefits

July 18, 2004|Michael Stern Tamarac

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel recently ran an article about the pension benefits that would accrue to certain candidates running for the Broward County Commission.

I am upset by the way politicians feather their own nests. Public service should not be used to enrich the politicians. I want to see the Sun-Sentinel do a comprehensive study of the pay and benefits, including expense accounts, that our elected officials receive. Many of these elected positions are part-time, but the pay and benefits they receive will probably exceed the average full-time pay and benefits of the constituents they serve.

The pension benefits and health insurance benefits that our elected officials receive often far exceed the typical benefits available in the private sector. I am always upset when I hear our congressional leaders discuss health insurance reform. If they would allow their constituents to have the same health plan they themselves get, we wouldn't have a problem.

Somewhere along the line we have allowed the creation of an upper class for politicians. Many of the aspects of nobility are bestowed upon our elected leaders. Official titles with special privileges are given to people who are public servants. They are treated better than the people they are elected to represent.

The public should receive a full disclosure of the pay and benefits their elected representatives receive. Any increases in pay and benefits should be approved by the voters, not by the politicians themselves.